By Rachel McAdams
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office
The debut installment of Bravo!, a gala fundraising dinner to benefit the University of Central Arkansas’s College of Fine Arts and Communication, will feature travel writer Rick Steves on Friday, March 16, at the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall.
Bravo! will become an annual fundraising event for CFAC. Each year, proceeds raised will benefit a different department within the college.
“The College of Fine Arts and Communication is very fortunate to have as our first Bravo! event star, the famed travel writer, Rick Steves,” said Dr. Rollin Potter, dean of CFAC. “Mr. Steves will bring his travel advice and enthusiasm to all who purchase a place at the banquet tables.”
This year, the proceeds will benefit the students in the Department of Writing. The funds will be used to send writing students to conferences around the country and possibly internationally.
“We are also fortunate to have the whole Bravo! event supported by a group of very generous donors, so we now know that every seat purchased will result in that dollar amount going to support writing students attending conferences,” Potter said.
According to the website for the event, www.uca.edu/publicappearances/promo/bravo, “Attendance at a professional conference will expose the students to professional writers who can influence future career decisions. Students will make connections that will advance their careers after they leave UCA.”
Steves, a television personality and travel writer, is known for his public radio travel show, Travel with Rick Steves, as host of the American Public Television series, Rick Steves’ Europe, and numerous travel guidebooks. He will be the guest of honor and speaker at the event. He will be at UCA as part of the artist in residence program sponsored by CFAC and will also be at a pre-event reception.
“We intend for Bravo! to become a tradition in the College of Fine Arts and Communication and we appreciate the community’s support of this fun and exciting event,” said Dr. Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication.
Tickets for the dinner are $75. Alternately, guests can purchase $100 VIP tickets, which will include an invitation to a private pre-event cocktail party at the home of the honorary chairs of the event, Madelyn and Jerry Adams, 1822 Robinson Ave., in Conway.
Guests can register online or by calling the College of Fine Arts and Communication office at (501) 450-3293. For more information, contact Lesley Allen at (501) 450-3293 or lesleya@uca.edu.
